In bingo and similar games of chance the basic elements of the game are a gaming board and a random number generating device. The gaming board can be a square array of numbers, usually a 5.times.5 array, with the centermost location being blank or termed a "free space". The game is generally played with either 75 or 90 numbers. Each column in the array is limited to only one-fifth of the numbers, e.g., the first column numbers are taken from the group 1 to 15 in the event 75 numbers are used, and 1 to 18 if 90 numbers are used; the second column numbers are taken from the group 16 to 30 or 19 to 36, and so on. Further, duplicate numbers cannot appear on a gaming card.
When the game is being played, the game operator specifies a shape or pattern to be formed on the gaming card by randomly drawn numbers and then proceeds to call numbers at random between 1 and 75, or 1 and 90, whichever is appropriate. If a number called coincides with one on a player's board, the player marks the number in some fashion on his board. The object of the game is to be the first player to have a set of randomly-called numbers coincide with the marked numbers on the player's board so as to form the specified shape or pattern. The specified shape or pattern may be an X, T, L, a diagonal line, any five numbers horizontally or vertically, and so on. Several of these games, usually between twelve and eighteen, constitute a bingo program or session which is played during the course of an evening over several hours. The games are played consecutively and essentially without any major interruption except possibly for intermissions.
These games have long been played with boards which have a fixed printed numerical array. Players select from a large number of boards and, therefore, are unable to create and play an array of their own choosing and determination. While some games have been played with blank paper boards that are filled in with numbers of the player's own choosing, the cards are limited in size and can essentially be used only once since the player marks out the numbers called with an ink dauber or like means. This type of random array selection results in an inefficiency of operation for playing consecutive games on a minimum interruption basis.
This inefficiency affects not only the game operator, who must find and check a copy of the marked paper boards which are collected to avoid an unauthorized change in the numbers once the game has started, but also the player, who must prepare a new board prior to each game. These actions require time and detract from the desired even, and essentially uninterrupted, flow of a successful bingo program. It is mainly for these reasons that the blank board approach has been used only for single games and then generally only for the first game of the bingo program.
Another important factor is to provide a gaming board which cannot be changed without the knowledge of the game operator, which provides an indication that it was acquired for use in the particular program being conducted, and which can be checked quickly in the event it displays a winning combination. Furthermore, during a typical bingo program, the shape of the winning array generally varies from one game to the next. Therefore, it is desirable for the player to have the shape of a winning array promptly displayed on his board and, additionally, to be provided with an automatic indication of when a match for that array has been achieved.
Recently, electronic gaming boards have been developed which permit a player to select his own numbers and to display the shape of a winning array. These boards signal the player when a winning array has been achieved on his board. An electronic gaming board of this type is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,810 issued in the name of John Richardson on Dec. 28, 1982. Other advantageous electronic gaming systems are disclosed in pending application U.S. Ser. No. 820,521 of John Richardson entitled, "Automatic Gaming System"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,387 issued to John Richardson, entitled "Multiple Gaming Board"; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,600 issued to John Richardson, entitled "Multiple Gaming Board With Instant Win Feature". The disclosures of Richardson are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
Even with the improvement in game play brought about by electronic gaming boards, the play during a bingo gaming session has become much more complex. More and different types of games are played today than just the five across, up or down of traditional bingo. Specialized win patterns for each game are becoming commonplace, and it would be impractical to provide a select switch for every possible pattern. Additionally, the gaming schedules are complicated by playing either regular cards or special cards for a particular game. It is necessary for a player to recognize and determine which type of card and game is being played for a particular gaming schedule.
To further complicate matters, in a single game there may be multiple win patterns or levels that build to a final payoff. For example, the final win pattern may be three completely-filled horizontal bars comprising the first, third, and fifth rows of a card. The first-level win pattern may be the fifth row, the second-level win pattern may be the first and fifth rows, and the third-level win pattern may be the first, third and fifth rows. The final payoff is given to the first player to totally fill all three bars. It is difficult with presently configured electronic gaming boards to play different game levels conveniently. These complex schedules become even more difficult to play when considering that many players will desire multiple cards or boards.
Moreover, many bingo gaming sessions today offer place payouts where there is a declining amount for a sequence of wins. The first person matching a particular pattern receives a substantial first prize, a moderate prize is awarded to the second person matching the same pattern, a lesser amount is paid to the third person matching the same pattern, and so on. These place-type games are also more difficult to play on presently-configured electronic gaming boards.
One of the more popular pastimes during intermission at a bingo gaming session is "instant" or "break open" bingo. While this game can be played in a variety of different ways and on different types of cards, the principle of the game is essentially the same. The players purchase cards where all the numbers are covered by pull tabs and no caller is involved. The player simply peels off or breaks open the tab and if the card contains B, I, N, G, 0 in any order or rotation, it is scored as a win. Because prior-art electronic gaming boards cannot be used to play this game, an operator is required to use two different types of cards and to employ more people to sell these instant cards.
For security reasons, the above-referenced electronic gaming boards of Richardson use a timer which, after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, locks out the board from play if the purchased card(s) have not been filled. While accomplishing its security purpose, this operation for an electronic gaming board causes the gaming session to be somewhat more inflexible than is necessary. For example, if every gaming board is set for a predetermined time, then no gaming cards can be sold within that interval before starting the game or the session cannot begin on time. These predetermined time periods, if fixed for all the boards, make it difficult to buy cards between games of a gaming session or at intermission. Moreover, there are players who do not want to choose their own numbers and consider it an imposition to have to fill out a gaming card on an electronic board. Further, an operator must make some provision for those players who have already paid for cards, but because the time for filling in the cards has elapsed, will not play in a particular game or gaming session.
An electronic gaming board as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,600, issued to John Richardson and entitled "Gaming Board with Instant Win Feature", provides for the storage of a complex gaming schedule therein to produce arbitrary win patterns with multiple level and place formats. These electronic gaming boards have produced a need for a means by which the gaming operator can easily program a large number of the boards in a rapid manner with a completely arbitrary gaming schedule. The gaming operator further needs a means to assist him in formulating the complex gaming schedule from one gaming session to the next.
Another problem which confronts the operator when using electronic gaming boards, or even regular paper cards, is the lack of available auditing procedures. Because a winning player is paid in cash at the time of his win, if some inconsistency develops either in the amount paid for one game or the total amount paid over all the games, there is no practical means for correcting the error.
The increased volume of card sales demands a more efficient distribution mechanism. Present art requires players to input numbers laboriously into their gaming boards, or to wait as a random number generator fills their cards. This procedure is time-consuming, precluding additional card sales.
A gaming system which is designed to improve the efficiency of a typical bingo gaming session should provide a gaming board which cannot be changed without the knowledge of the game operator, and which can be checked quickly in the event it displays a winning combination. The system should provide an indication that the gaming board was acquired for use in the particular program being conducted. Further, because each individual game during a typical bingo gaming session generally requires a different shape for the winning pattern, it would be desirable for the player to have the shape of a winning array displayed promptly on his board and to be provided with an automatic indication when a match for that array has been achieved.
Under prior electronic bingo gaming systems, a number of deceptions can be practiced. For instance, in some systems, it has been possible for a player to generate favorable cards on an electronic gaming board as the random numbers were announced. It has also been possible for a player to use an old game card in a new game, and to utilize electronic means to "verify" an improperly secured "win." Unscrupulous players might attempt to collect prize money by playing on electronic gaming boards from other bingo gaming operations. Similarly, game participants could modify the electronic gaming boards to enhance the chances of winning. Therefore, electronic gaming systems must provide security checks to ensure that allegedly-winning electronic gaming boards belong to the gaming system in question and have not been modified. Otherwise, the profitability of an entire bingo operation may be jeopardized.
An electronic validation unit as described in copending application Ser. No. 820,245, entitled "Portable Validation Unit for Gaming System," filed in the name of John Richardson, provides for the operation of validating win claims for electronic gaming boards, such as those described immediately above, and for accumulating an audit record of the win claim. These validation units have produced a need for a means by which the gaming operator can easily program the units to validate the wins of a complex gaming schedule and to assemble the separate audit information from each validation unit into an integrated audit record for the entire gaming session.
Because the electronic gaming boards and validation units described above are hand-held, battery-powered apparatus, a considerable maintenance cost for such boards is changing the batteries. Generally, such hand-held, battery-powered devices have an on/off switch which connects and disconnects a battery from the circuitry such that power can be conserved during non-use. However, in a gaming session context, an operator does not want a player to be able to turn on and off an electronic gaming board, or an employee to be able to turn on and off a validation unit, for a number of reasons.
Initially, if the electronic gaming board or validation unit stores information in a random-access memory, turning off the device during the gaming session will excise this information from memory. Secondly, for security purposes as much as for power savings, the gaming operator does not want an electronic gaming board or validation unit operable until the start of the gaming session and then would prefer it to be disabled after the gaming session is complete. This type of operation would prevent unauthorized use and persons from storing or reading data from the electronic gaming board or validation unit which might affect the play of the game.